


Sleeping Spine

by octovoid128



Series: Tales Will Live and Die [3]
Category: The Mechanisms (Band)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Lyf has nightmares, M/M, this is just almost pure sap, warning for mild emetophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:07:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23390698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/octovoid128/pseuds/octovoid128
Summary: Lyf has a nightmare. Marius comforts him.(sorry for bad summary im posting this at 2am)
Relationships: Lyfrassir Edda/Marius von Raum
Series: Tales Will Live and Die [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1667215
Comments: 9
Kudos: 158
Collections: Stowaways' Shenanigans





	Sleeping Spine

**Author's Note:**

> mind the tags vis a vis the emetophobia thing!

Lyf had really hoped they were over the nightmares. They’re fewer and farther between now that they spend their nights in Marius’s room, and they generally feel more distant, like Marius’s presence alone is warding them away. But they’re still there, lurking around the edges of their unconscious mind, and sometimes they break through whatever protection Marius affords him. 

Tonight is one of those nights. He already can’t even remember exactly what the dream was about. It slides out of his grasp like a squamous thing, leaving only the cold sweat on his skin and the churning in their stomach, which is only growing worse.

He extracts himself from where he’s tangled around Marius as gently as possible to stumble into the bathroom. He doesn’t want to wake him, doesn’t want to worry him… but of course, when he sinks to his knees in front of the toilet and begins to heave, Marius is behind him, holding his hair back and rubbing his back gently. 

Marius doesn’t say a word until Lyf is done expelling the oily black goo from wherever it comes from. One of these days he’d have to ask Raphaella to cut him open and see if he had developed some new sort of eldritch goo-producing organ. Though he isn’t sure if he’d feel better or worse if he had. 

“You okay?” Marius asks gently. Lyf isn’t, but there’s not much Marius can do to change that so he just nods.

“I think I got it out of my system for now.” He doesn’t mention the dream but he knows that Marius knows. This is how it always goes. 

Marius, to his credit, just nods and stands up to help him up off the floor.

Once the goo has been flushed and Lyf has brushed his teeth to rid himself of any remaining grossness in his mouth, Marius holds out his arms to offer a hug. 

Lyf folds himself against his chest and Marius holds him close.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Marius  _ knows _ he doesn’t, but he asks anyway. Sometimes it helps to talk even when you don’t want to.

“I don’t even remember most of it. It’s just more of the usual Bifrost bullshit.” He’s afraid that if he thinks about it too hard, he’d start to remember and his stomach twists again uncomfortably at the thought.

“Well then, do you want to talk about something else to get your mind off it?”

Lyf doesn’t know why he says what he says next, if he’s being honest. Maybe something about the ethereal, unremembered quality of the dream made them think of home and how it had slipped away from them. Maybe they were just feeling sentimental in general.

“Do you ever miss where you came from?”

Marius laughs a little dryly and Lyf looks up at him, puzzled.

“Sorry, I’m not laughing at you. It’s just… no. I really, really don’t.”

“Oh.” Lyf isn’t sure what to say to that. He’d never really considered the idea of having no nostalgia about where you came from.

“I mean, it wasn’t the best situation. Most of us weren’t in ideal situations when we got mechanized. Most of us were dead already. Most of us didn’t die accidentally. Byron von Raum lived a short, bloody life and bled out through the stump of his arm because he wasn’t a fucking doctor and didn’t even know to try to cut off bloodflow. Though he did look pretty bitchin’ in the cockpit of that giant robot.  _ That’s _ what I’m nostalgic about, the giant fucking robots. That was cool.”

Lyf laughs softly and gives him a peck on the lips. “You’d definitely look hot in the cockpit of a giant robot.”

Marius grins and peppers a few more kisses over Lyf’s face. “This is why I love you, you’re not afraid to admit that.”

“Look, there’s something inherently sexy about giant robots, I simply do not make the rules, Marius.”

Marius laughs again and this time it’s a lot more genuine.

They stand there in comfortable silence for a few minutes, Marius rocking them both gently back and forth. It doesn’t take long for the slight motion and the soft silence to work its calming effect on Lyf. His eyes are drooping closed and he’s leaning more and more of his weight against Marius’s chest. He’s so tired he barely registers Marius scooping him into his arms.

“Something about this feels awfully familiar, Lyfrassir.” Marius’s voice is soft and fond and Lyf isn’t sure he’s ever felt more relaxed in his life.

“Last time I wanted you to put me down.” He mumbles into Marius’s chest.

“And this time?”

Lyf smiles and sleepily traces a pattern on Marius’s arm that lingers a little in rainbow light. “...This is nice. Don’t let go.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Lyf isn’t conscious enough to understand the maneuvering it requires for Marius to not let him go and also lay them both back down, but they get there eventually. He snuggles further against Marius, even though they’re already technically as physically close as they can possibly be and Marius is sure to complain in the morning about overheating.

Marius doesn’t complain in the morning, though he has managed to untangle himself some to let a little air get between them. He’s still pretty soundly asleep until Lyf plants a slow series of kisses across his jaw until he reaches his lips. Marius wakes with a soft sigh and kisses Lyf back. They’re both still only half awake, and the kiss is slow and lazy and Lyf hopes it properly communicates to him how much he appreciates him, how much he loves him.

Marius pulls back after a few minutes and smiles up at them.

“That was an excellent way to say good morning.”

“It’s also an excellent way to say thank you.” Lyf kisses him again, quicker this time.

“What are you thanking me for? Or am I supposed to be thanking you?” Marius runs a hand through his hair, looking confused.

“ _ I’m _ thanking  _ you _ for last night.”

“Why are you thanking me? I just did what any good boyfriend would do. Probably any good friend for that matter. Except all the kissing. Although, I don’t know, I’ve done quite a bit of kissing with my own friends, so I’m not one to judge on that front-”

“Marius.” Lyf cuts him off with a laugh.

“What?”

“You’re such a dork and I love you.”

“I love you too.”


End file.
